To Teach A Lion To Walk Like Man
by ItsAlwaystheBadGuys
Summary: Molly's African safari isn't going the way she planned. Nothing was supposed to try and eat her, and big lions weren't supposed to be taking special interest in her either. Scar/OC Rated M for sexual content in later chapters. Possible AU
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Lion King or any of its characters, they are all copyrighted to Disney. Molly is my own creation. I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfiction.

Important AN: Yes, the fanfic is a rated M romance and Molly is human and Scar is a lion, but there is NO bestiality in this fanfic. Trust me, they get around it.

Chapter 1

Molly was very, _very _lost. Wandering away from the safari group to catch a better glimpse of some baby antelope, she now found herself alone of the African plain. It was beginning to get dark and she knew the best thing she could do now would be to find a safe place to sleep for the night. But this was Africa and that was easier said than done. Wiping a hand across her sweaty forehead, she tried to look around her for somewhere decent. She thought she saw some sort of rock formation ahead, but the mirages had been playing tricks on her all day. Sighing, she began walking again, hoping the shade from the rocks would be real this time.

They were real.

Thrilled when she realized the rocks weren't wavering and were growing bigger and more solid as she neared them, Molly kissed them when she finally reached them. A small dugout underneath an outcrop of rock offered itself as her bed for the evening. Falling to her knees, she curled up in the dirt, hoping something wouldn't come along and eat her while she slept.

Waking in the middle of the night to the sound of a lion's roar, Molly sat up straight and stared with terrified eyes out into the night. A set of glowing eyes stared back, bobbing slightly as the creature walked towars her. Gasping when it came close enough and the moon shone on it, Molly didn't know wether to be afraid or awed. A long, lean lion stood watchig her, his dark fur and darker mane making him blend in with the darkness of the night. Wondering why he had stopped and wasn't eating her organs at the moment, Molly flinched when he roared again.

Head thrown back, he opened his mouth wide, baring his huge teeth. Tail lashing to and fro behind him, he looked possessed. Lowering his head, he found her still sitting there, watching him in awe. Sneezing, he turned to move away, and without a backwards glance, faded into the darkness of the night.

Swallowing hard, Molly remembered to breathe. Laying back on the dirt, she curled herself into an even tighter ball and hoped she was this lucky for the rest of the night.

Waking the next morning, Molly found huge pawprints in the dirt all around her pathetic campsite. A few feet off, she was sure she'd even found the spot where the lion had laid down, but she wasn't a tracker and it could have been a worn spot on the ground. But those pawprints were definitely there. Hoping the lion had lost interest in her and moved on, she dusted herself off and looked up at the burning sun above.

"There's no way I'm surviving another hike during the day," she muttered. Water was an issue though, she had to find some soon.

The sound of running reached her ears and she looked about to see a herd of antelope go running by. Leg muscles bunching and sending them flying, they rushed past her, tails raised high in fear. Behind them, a cheetah zipped along, chasing down the slowest. At the sight of Molly, it hesitated and, deciding on a slower meal, changed course and headed straight for the girl.

"Shit," Molly turned to run, knowing it was futile, but a dark shape jumped from the rock above her head and landed between her and the oncoming cheetah. Skidding to a halt at the sight of the angry lion that had materialized in front of it, the smaller feline turned tail and ran the other way..

Staring at the same dark lion from the other night, Molly felt her world swirl. Exhaustion and heat combined with the thought of being eaten by _something _soon, caused her to fall backwards onto her backside. Turning at the sound, the big lion regarded her with eery green eyes. Moving closer, it sniffed at her curiously. Blinking, Molly wondered if she was imagining the odd feline smile on the beasts face.

Snorting, the lion turned and walked a few steps, looking over his shoulder at her. Knowing she was absolutely nuts for thinking he actually wanted her to follow him, Molly still got to her feet. Walking behind him as he patiently led her to a watering hole, the lion lapped up water gently before turning to her again.

"I can't drink that," Molly stared at the still water, "I'll get sick."

Growling, the lion paced, then sat on his haunches and stared up at the trees that had grown around the water source. Following his gaze, Molly saw small monkeys among the leaves and fruit of the trees. Fruit.

Grabbing hold of the nearest tree, Molly tried to pull herself up the trunk to reach the first branch. Her fingers were inches under it and she slid back down to the ground in dismay. Yelping when the lions head nudged her behind, she glanced back at him. Bumping her again, he looked up at the fruit. Trying again, Molly felt his head shove up under her and push her more than far enough up the tree. Grabbing a branch, she hauled herself up, wrapping her legs around it. As gently as she could, she dropped as many fruit as she could onto the ground below.

Pacing again as she climbed, the dark lion finally laid down to watch as she settled down to eat. The fruit was delicious, whatever it was, and the juices took her thirst away. Licking some of the sweet juice from her lips and fingers, she smiled at the lion.

"Thank you for saving me."

Giving no indication he understood her, the lion continued to doze and watch her. Tail curling and uncurling with a mind of its own, it was the only thing on him that moved. Molly noticed the scar over his left eye and wondered of he'd gotten it in a fight with another male. It was obvious he had no pride to live with, she hadn't seen a hair of another lion. She'd never seen or heard of a lion like him. His pitch black mane and reddish-brown coat were only the physical half of it. How many lions rescued human women and fed them rather than eating them? He was very unique, and she found herself curious about him.

Edging forward, she moved within an arms distance of him. Watching her through lidded eyes, tail still gently curling, the lion seemed to be waiting for something. Heart in her throat, Molly slowly reached out a hand to him. Making no move either towards or away from her, he held perfectly still as her shaking hand slid into his thick mane. Surprised at how soft and healthy it felt, Molly experimentally twined her fingers in it and smiled when the big cat sighed and leaned into her touch.

"You like that huh?" giving him a little scratch, she almost laughed as his eyes drifted shut and he shifted to give her a different angle. Moving her other hand under his chin, she began scratching him with both hands, marveling at what was happening to her. It was like a dream.


	2. Chapter 2

All characters copyrighted to Disney except Molly. I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfic.

Chapter 2

Allowing himself to be taken over by the glorious sensations the human female was causing in him, Scar leaned into her amazing fingers. Even a lioness' tongue didn't feel that good. Slumping over, he rested his head in her lap. A soft, happy sound issued from her and she began to run her nimble fingers through his mane methodically; gently pulling out sticks and burs and untangling any clumps or knots.

Shifting, he nudged his head against her stomach and knocked her over gently. He smelled the fear on her as she looked up at him, wide-eyed. Leaning down, he gave her a reassuring lick under her chin and laid his head across her chest. Sighing, her hands came up carefully and tangled in his mane again. Closing his eyes, Scar wondered exactly what to do with the girl.

Her persistence to be near him and even touch him despite her fear of him had intrigued him ever since he'd approached her the night before. Most people screamed, wet themselves, or ran. She'd just watched. So what was his plan? The girl would want to go home. Humans didn't live with lions. Certainly not lions like him, who didn't even live with other lions. Huffing in frustration, he felt her shift underneath him.

"Be still," he commanded, rubbing his chin against her, "It's day, we must sleep."

Knowing she didn't understand him, he was surprised when she relaxed and actually seemed to be trying to get some sleep. Scar decided to think more about her future when the sun went down. He always thought better at night. The day made his mind cloudy and slow. Listening to her gentle breathing, Scar fell asleep.

Waking to the familiar sounds of other lions, Scar's ears pricked up as he lifted his head. Sniffing, he laid a paw on the girls chest as she stirred and tried to sit up. The smells and voices of the lions made Scar groan. A hunting party from his brother's pride, lead by none other than Sarabi, Mufasa's mate.

"Get up," he stood and nudged the girl with his nose.

With a questioning grunt, she stood and glanced the direction he had been staring.

Growling, he shoved his shoulder against her to get her moving, "Get going! They can't find you."

Seeming to piece together that _some _sort of danger was behind her, the girl quickly jogged ahead of him into the longer grass on the other side of the watering hole. Making much more noise than Scar would have liked but at least moving quickly, she kept going until he bounded in front of her.

"That's far enough," he looked behind her, knowing the hunters would catch their scent and hoping they wouldn't bother following. His human pet would be just one more thing for all of them to laugh at him for. Not to mention the danger she would be in. Lions usually didn't make it a habit of eating humans, but if she was important to Scar in some way, the others might make an exception.

Pulling him out of his dark thoughts, the girl brushed a hand down his back nonchalantly. Flinching in surprise at the familiarity of the touch, Scar was amazed to find himself eager for her to do it again. Sure enough, her thin, searching fingers swiped down his back, and this time he arched into it.

That same short, happy sound burst forth from her again and he realized she was laughing. Embarrassed, he shook his body, removing her hand, and loped forward a few feet. It was still too bright out to be up and awake, and they had a bit of a walk ahead of them before they reached the next safe spot. Hoping the fruit she had eaten earlier would be enough to hold her over, Scar led the way through the tall, African grass.

...

Stopping to catch her breath, Molly bent over, placing her hands on her knees and praying for water soon. A short growl brought her head up to lock eyes with the stare of the dark lion. Gripping her shirt between his teeth, he tugged sharply, ripping a hole in it.

"Oh come on!" Molly couldn't help but react badly. She was tired, hot, lost and scared; and in absolutely no mood to be dragged around Africa by a crazed lion. Slapping his nose away, she had time to think it was a bad idea before he snarled and leaped on her, slamming her into the ground. Wind knocked out of her, Molly fought for breath as the beast loomed over her. Sharp claws dug into her shoulders and tears ran down her cheeks.

Pulling back and slipping off her, the lion hesitated as she sucked in air and let out a sob of pain. Concerned, he came forward, but she scooted away from him, kicking dirt up with one foot, "Leave me alone!"

Sitting back on his haunches, the lion waited until she calmed down. Laying down, he inched forward until he could rest his head across her ankle. Glaring at him, Molly winced as she picked herself up off the ground. Her shoulders burned where he'd hurt her, blood leaking slowly onto her shirt. Ignoring him, she continued on in the direction they had been heading. If he wanted her to get there so badly, she'd go.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own any of the Lion King characters, they are copyright to Disney, Molly is my original character.

A third chapter as an apology to my first reviewer for taking so long on getting the second one up! Hubby was playing Dragon Age on the computer. ^^

Chapter 3

Two minutes later, Molly felt very foolish when she walked out of the grass and onto a slab of rock over-looking a fresh water stream. Glancing back at the lion slithering out of the grass behind her, she sighed and let her hand fall on top of his head.

Scratching gently, she mumbled, "I'm sorry."

Sighing, he accepted her apology. Leaning over the side of the slab, Molly cupped her hands in the water and brought it up to her face. It looked clean enough, and it didn't seem like she had much of a choice. At least the water was moving and not stagnant like the watering hole before. Closing her eyes, hoping she didn't die from it, Molly took a drink. Once the taste test showed no immediate side effects, she drank her fill and sat back as the lion moved in for his own turn.

Remembering the wounds on her shoulders, Molly took the hem of her tee shirt in her hands and peeled the dirty thing off. Dipping it over the side, she scrubbed and wrung it out, repeating it all until she was sure it was as clean as it could get. Hanging it over the branch of a nearby tree to dry, she decided to leave her pants on. Wincing, she used the clear water to clean the claw marks as best she could. They weren't as bad as she'd thought, but she was still worried about infection. A rough, dry tongue ran along her left shoulder as she inspected her right. Jumping, she saw the lion sitting and watching her.

"These still hurt," she chided.

Moving his big head forward, he gave her wounds another lick. Unsure, Molly saw he wasn't easily going to give up this fight and relaxed, allowing him to lick her clean. The big lion received a gentle tap on his snout when he tried to lick her chest.

"None of that," she teased as he stared at her, puzzled. She noted he didn't attack her. That was an improvement...

Growling, the lion nudged her onto her back, standing to walk over her. With both paws on either side of her head, he leaned down and gently rubbed his cheek along hers, surprising her into stillness. Grunting, he rubbed her once more and pulled back to face her. Leaning up, Molly very carefully kissed the tip of his big nose. His eyes seemed to smile.

...

The human girl pulled away and laid back down under him. Shaking his mane, Scar raised his nose to the wind and sniffed. There was no hint that Sarabi and the others had followed them. They should be able to sleep until evening, and then he'd have to hunt. Wondering if she could eat meat, Scar moved to lay down next to her. Slumping to the ground, he yawned and paused as she squirmed her small form closer to him, turning on her side to use one of his big paws as a pillow.

Was she without fear or just stupid? Shrugging it off, he laid his head next to hers, listening to her breathing slow as she fell back to sleep. He was sure this had been one of the most eventful days she'd ever had. His own eyes drifting shut under the heat of the sun, Scar yawned once more before he too fell asleep.

When he woke after sundown, his human pet was writhing in pain. Clutching her stomach, she shivered and moaned. A loud gurgle sound came from her stomach and she jumped to her feet, running off into the night while he was still trying to fully come awake.

Chasing after her, Scar slid to a halt when he smelled feces, and a lot of it. Pained groans came from the same direction as the smell, and he shook his head in bewilderment. What was wrong with her? After a while, she emerged, body moving slowly and shivering. Retrieving the thing she had hung on the branch, she slipped it back over her body and sat down.

Saying something to him, she held her stomach again and pointed to the water. Scar didn't like this. If she was somehow poisoned or sick, he knew nothing about what to do with her. The only one he knew that might be able to help her was his brothers old adviser, the crazy monkey, Rafiki.

"That baboon," he snarled. It was no secret Rafiki didn't like Scar, and Scar felt the same. Still...

The girl moaned again and climbed to her feet, rushing off into a different direction, she returned a few moments later, looking even weaker. Scar knew he had to do something. Nudging her, he leaned his side against her and knocked her off balance. It was easier to do than before, and as she toppled over his back, it was a testament to how sick she must be.

Saying something again, she tried to right herself, but he moved forward before she could get to her feet. It wasn't that she was heavy, but slumped over her back like she was, it made it awkward for him to move and he had to stop again. Seeming to understand what he was attempting, the girl pulled a leg over him and laid down on his back, her head resting between his shoulder blades. Fingers digging deep into his mane, she held on as he began to jog towards the mad monkeys tree.


	4. Chapter 4

First off, I'd like to thank every last one of my readers/reviewers for enjoying my story so much and for leaving such awesome comments! You guys are the best!

I'm sorry I was gone for so long and left you all hanging. A lot of bad things piled up in real life for me, and it was a lot to deal with. Suffice it to say, romantic stories were the furthest things from my mind. But I'm doing much better, and I'm happy to finally bring you the next chapter of my story, and I promise it won't be months until the next one! I hope you continue to enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Lion King or any of its characters, they are all copyrighted to Disney. Molly is my own creation. I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfiction.

Important AN: Yes, the fanfic is a rated M romance and Molly is human and Scar is a lion, but there is NO bestiality in this fanfic. Trust me, they get around it.

...

Chapter 4

Molly wasn't sure if most of what she saw was real or not. Slipping in and out of consciousness, Molly watched a warped Africa rush past her as the lion carried her. She hoped he had some sort of plan. She wasn't sure what a lion's version of a doctor was, but she needed one, now. They entered a stand of trees, the lion slowing his pace now as another wave of pain washed over Molly. Leaves shivered in the branches above and a thud sounded off the lion's head. Snarling, he came up short and sent Molly tumbling into the tall grass. Moaning, she held her stomach as mad chattering sounded from the tree the lion now paced under.

Glancing up, Molly couldn't help but giggle hopelessly. She was going to die... The lion had brought her to his doctor...a baboon...

...

"A human?" Rafiki ceased his chattering and flinging of rocks at Scar at the sound from the girl, "Where did YOU get a human, Scar?"

"She was lost," Scar skirted fully answering the question. He didn't want to explain to his brother's monkey that he'd rescued a human woman.

Raising his eyebrow, Rafiki shrugged and didn't pry, "What has she eaten? You didn't let her eat raw meat, did you?"

Making sure to remember never to give her what he himself could eat, Scar shook his head and turned back to the girl, nuzzling her outstretched hand, "She ate fruit that I've seen you and those like you eat. She didn't become sick until after she drank water."

Coming up behind Scar and placing a gnarled hand on the girl's burning forehead, Rafiki pulled back and pursed his lips. Scooping some leaves and grasses into a pile, he lifted her head gently and placed it on top of the mound. Clambering back up into his tree, the baboon returned with an assortment of gourds and his staff. Placing the tools next to the girl, he nudged Scar away with one arm, but it was done gently. Scar disconnected himself from the oddly familiar contact from the monkey, snorting.

"Can you help her?"

Shrugging his narrow shoulders, the baboon looked up only a moment from his patient, "If I can, what will you do with her?"

Frowning, Scar sat down on the other side of the girl, "What I do is my business, monkey."

Fussing over one of his mixtures, Rafiki spoke as if Scar was still a cub, "She cannot stay with you. What would she do against predators or sicknesses like the one already in her?"

"Heal her, old baboon, and I'll leave you alive. That's all you should concern yourself with. What happens to her once we leave here is nothing to you." Scar's claws dug into the dirt as he glared across the girl at the stupid ape.

"Very well," the monkey tossed his head towards the plains, "Go and hunt, Scar. I will watch over her until you return."

Hesitating, Scar flicked his tail, "If I return and she's dead..." he let the threat hang between them.

"I'm sure I'll be in for a very bad end."

Snorting, Scar bent his head to lick the girl's cheek. She tasted horrible, not like she did when she was healthy, "Be safe," he rumbled so she could hear him whether she understood him or not.

A mere flutter of the eyes was all he got in return, the girl too far gone to acknowledge him. Bounding off into the night, he knew the hunt would not be good, his heart was not in it, but he had to do something other than sit there and possibly watch her die.

...

Molly tried to open her eyes and look at what had licked her face, she knew the lion had to be there, but her eyes were heavy and her stomach was a roiling mass of pain. A hand lifted her head and she found something being pressed to her lips. Opening them, she sipped at the cool liquid, feeling it ease her stomach a little. Had she been mistaken when she'd thought she'd seen a baboon? Had the lion actually taken her to a human doctor? Another liquid was forced between her lips, this one tasting like tea that's been left out too long. Choking, Molly turned her head to spit it out when a large rough hand clapped over her mouth and nose. Another hand came up and rubbed at her throat like she'd seen people do with cats to get them to swallow pills. Swallowing so her 'care-giver' would let her breathe again, Molly took a huge breath as soon as he pulled away.

"What are you," coughing, she turned away again, "doing to me?"

A few monkey noises was all she got in return, answering her doubts of what kind of physician she had been handed over to. He left her alone for a long while, only touching her to place cool, damp leaves on her forehead. The bad tasting medicine took longer to work than the first kind, but it was much more effective. The monkey brought another drink over, and this time she sniffed it before she let him pour it down her throat. Water. Pulling away, she shook her head, she wasn't going to let him pour more poison down into her. One hand gently rubbing her cheek, the baboon made soothing 'ooh' noises until she lifted her head again and, trusting him, took a drink.

...

Blundering yet another sneak attack on his prey, Scar cursed the stars above him and was about to return to Rafiki and the girl when he heard a very distinct laugh.

"Hey guys, look," Shenzi's voice cried out, "It's the boss!"

The three hyenas pelted towards him, Ed trailing behind with that eternal look of idiotic joy on his face, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Banzai and Shenzi were neck and neck, but the female pulled forward in the end and skidded to a halt at Scar's feet first.

"Hey Scar," Shenzi grinned up at him as the other two came up behind her, Ed's giggling cutting in for a moment, "How's it hanging?"

Arching an eyebrow, Scar looked away from them, "What are the three of you doing here?"

Two of the smiles faded, Scar knew Ed wouldn't pick up on his displeasure unless he made them afraid, but as long as the other two understood, Ed would follow them.

"Hey boss," Banzai's tail was tucked between his legs, "We're sorry, we were just hungry."

Nodding, Shenzi backed up, "We'll go straight back, Scar. We're sorry."

Their rears bumped an oblivious Ed and he blinked at them, then followed, still grinning at nothing. Scar rolled his shoulders uncomfortably and stood, trotting after them, "Wait."

Eyes widening, Banzai and Shenzi must have thought he'd changed his mind about punishment, but instead, Scar nodded his head down towards the herd of gazelle he'd been stalking half the day.

"If you're hungry, you'll eat."

Hesitant smiles reappeared on their faces and they exchanged a look, then followed Scar through the grass towards the herd, stomachs growling in anticipation.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Banzai noticed the difference first. Sniffing at Scar for the thousandth time, he whispered something to Shenzi before clearing his throat and asked, "Uh, Scar? Did you uh...attack a human?"

Stiffening for only a moment, Scar continued to slide through the grass, "No."

"Oh..."

"But uh..." Shenzi's voice now, "You smell like one."

Shaking his mane in annoyance, Scar turned on them, "Do you three imbeciles want to eat or not?"

Cowering, the three nodded in unison, eyes pleading. Curling his lip at them, Scar returned his attention back to the herd of gazelle. Hunkering down, he watched one of the old ones intently. The three hyenas remained still and quiet behind him; even Ed, who could keep his mouth shut when he knew he was getting food. Scar had explained the plan to them, he only hoped they would pull it off. He was just as hungry as they were. Nodding his head to the right, he winced at the amount of noise the three made as they spread out around the side of the gazelle. The prey didn't seem to notice, but Scar's teeth were still on edge.

They waited a minute or two more, then Scar saw the old gazelle's knee shiver with strain. Bolting from the undergrowth, Scar closed the distance between him and the terrified creature. The hyenas came out of the grasses ahead of him, circling in around the old gazelle as the rest of the herd ran off at top speed to the other side of the plains. One of Scar's massive paws swept the front legs out from underneath his prey and the creature crashed down as he crunched its neck between his jaws. One violent jerk of Scar's head and dinner was served.

...

Opening her eyes, Molly faced the sky to find that the stars were just barely giving way to a lighter purple haze that signaled the minutes before the sun set the horizon on fire. Lifting herself up on her elbows, she looked in the direction of the sun and waited. Heat waves shimmered the air in front of it, and the horizon turned blood red. Then the sun peeked its bright yellow face over the edge of the world and Molly smiled. She'd lived to see another sunrise, the monkey doctor (despite his nasty concoction she'd had to drink at least once more) had done a good job of keeping her alive. Peering around for him, she found him curled up on a branch above her head. Stirring as the sunrays touched him, he blinked and yawned, showing huge canines.

"Morning," Molly called up to her latest lifesaver.

Jerking his head round as if he'd forgotten she was there, the baboon grinned from ear to ear and plopped down next to her. Grabbing both sides of her head, he dragged her face forward roughly and pulled down her cheeks a little to peer into her eyes. Tilting her head, he inspected her ears, promptly grabbing and eating a little beetle he found in her hair, and released her. Moving to her back, he lifted her shirt up and she felt his fingers gently prod at the wounds the lion had made in her back. Leaving her shirt lifted around her shoulders, he scampered up into what looked to be his main tree; with all the gourds and hollowed out turtle shells she could see dangling from it. The monkey returned with two of his gourds filled with liquid and a little bowl filled with a gooey green substance that he promptly began to apply to her wounds on her back. Pulling her shirt down, he offered one of the liquid filled gourds.

Recognizing the foul tasting one almost immediately, Molly gave the baboon a long suffering look and grumped, "Please no more."

Ignoring her puppy eyes and giving her a rather stern look of his own, he shoved the gourd towards her face.

"Fine," Molly tried to swallow the drink as fast as she could, getting it over with. She quickly took the second gourd, expecting a second dose of the same thing, and smiled gratefully when she found it was water again. The same _clean _water he'd given her while she'd been sick. "Where's the lion that brought me here?" she did her best imitation of a lion, which wasn't very good, then made a slashing motion over one eye.

Tilting his head, the baboon grinned and chattered at her, then pointed with his whole hand towards the sunrise. Shading her eyes, Molly tried to see the lion, but only saw a herd of gazelle spread out over the plains.

...

Scrubbing one of his paws against his face, Scar did his best to clean the blood from his fur. Somehow he didn't think the human girl would be as inclined to keep the company of a lion with bits of his latest kill still stuck in his teeth. The hyenas were still chewing on the carcass he'd left. Banzai had made some smart comment about preferring zebra, but a quick back-handed paw from Scar had helped the hyena's taste buds adjust. Ordering them to get back to the Elephant Graveyard as soon as they were done, Scar had left to clean up.

Rolling onto his back, Scar rubbed and rolled for a little while, flopping over to face the rising sun. Rafiki's voice entered his head, unbidden and speaking his own doubts, _What are you going to do with a human Scar? She's nothing to you. She's prey. _Mouth going dry, he stood and faced away from the sun. Shaking his mane, he threw back his head and roared in frustration.

...

Jumping at the roar, Molly wondered if it was her lion. The baboon was bringing her a turtle shell full of fruit and another gourd of water and hesitated when he heard the sound. Molly swore his facial expression was that of concern. Blinking away from the horizon, he handed her the water and fruit and returned to his tree, leaving her alone for the first time since she'd woken up. Confused, Molly sighed and dug into breakfast, knowing she had to regain the strength and nutrition that she'd lost while she was sick. The regular doses of the bad tasting medicine proved she wasn't completely better, but she was still impressed with the speed at which the monkey had her on the road to recovery. How he managed clean water with no fire to boil it was also beyond her.

"Lions that save damsels in distress and monkey witch doctors," she muttered to herself, "I _must _be dreaming."

But the pain and sickness she'd gone through had shown her this was most definitely not a dream or hallucination. The weirdest thing was that she really didn't feel any inclination to get back home in any hurry at all. Lifting her head to look out over the plains, she thought she spotted the dark shape of the lion coming towards her. Standing on wobbly legs and shielding her eyes, Molly tried to see if it was him. Once she was certain, she grinned and tried to make her way towards him as fast as her legs would let her.

"Hey you," she reached out a hand to him as he came within arms reach.

Sniffing at her hand once, he leaned his chin against her palm and looked up at her with his bright green eyes. The hot wind of the African plains blew against her hair and his mane, and she shook her head, bewildered by the moment.

"You and I are quite a pair, huh?"

...

Thank you again to all my readers and reviewers! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story so far, and I'm sorry this whole chapter had to be Scar and Molly separated and doing their own thing. I promise the next chapter won't be that way!


	6. Chapter 6

So...there's really no excuse that's good enough to justify the wait I've put you guys through. I'm really sorry to everyone who's been reading this since I first posted, it's probably the slowest written fanfic on here. As promised, there's much more time with Scar and Molly together in this chapter, and a surprise! ;)

Chapter 6

Scar was getting agitated. It had been three whole days since they'd reached Rafiki's tree and the monkey still hadn't allowed them to leave. The human seemed more than fine and had even been climbing a tree that morning. Yet the monkey claimed she wasn't healthy enough to leave and spent the majority of his time up his tree. What he was doing up there that required so much time was beyond Scar.

Making her laughing noise that reminded him vaguely of his hyena followers, the human came up behind him, running her fingers into his mane. Closing his eyes as she scratched behind his ears, Scar didn't open them again until she said something in the language of humans. With hair bushed out on all sides of her head, she looked like a young, red-maned lion, and he chuckled as he sat on his haunches.

Bending her awkward legs to sit next to him, she said something again and pointed to the tree the monkey had retreated up again. Looking back to Scar, she turned and looked back out at the open grasslands.

Smiling, Scar said, "So you're tired of waiting around too, hmm?" Standing, Scar trotted to the trunk of Rafiki's tree and reared up on his hind legs. Digging his claws into the bark as high as he could, Scar took a deep breath and roared up into the leaves.

A panicked chattering answered him and Scar bellowed, "Rafiki? Get your miserable hide down here!"

"Fine, fine," the baboon tossed a few sticks at Scar for good measure as he clambered down the tree with a gourd, "Just let me give her this one last dose and you can go."

"And you won't try to stop me?" Scar raised an eyebrow as he moved aside for the monkey to reach the ground.

Shrugging, Rafiki moved to hand the girl the gourd without a word.

...

Sniffing at the drink inside the gourd, Molly found she didn't recognize its sweet scent. Happily tipping the gourd to her lips, she guzzled it down. It almost tasted like kool-aid. Smiling up at the baboon, Molly wondered at the intent gaze on his face.

"That was good," licking her lips, she tried to hand the empty gourd back to him, but it fell from her hand. Blinking, she tried to stop the fuzziness that was beginning to cloud her vision. Her tongue felt rough and dry and she was suddenly thirstier than she'd ever been in her life. A shooting headache split the side of her head open and she cried out.

The lion growled and Molly saw a dark blur rush to her side. Licking her face, he was the last thing she knew before painless darkness engulfed her.

...

Opening her eyes what felt like eons later, Molly saw the two animals sitting opposite her, staring like she was a ghost. It wouldn't have surprised Molly if she had been, it felt like the monkey had tried to kil her.

"What the hell did you give me?" she demanded, trying to push herself to a sitting position. The lion and baboon widened their eyes as she spoke. Exchanging a look, they annoyed Molly further as she gave up on trying to sit up and flipped over to lift herself up on her arms.

"Damn animals," she gritted her teeth and shook her head.

"It was a potion," the baboon said simply.

Freezing, Molly stared at the two of them, hard, "You just...no..."

Tilting his head, the lion said with an amused tone, "My feelings exactly, human."

"Wh-what's going? I'm hallucinating. That potion you gave me-" she pointed an accusing finger at the baboon, and screamed when she realized it was no longer a finger. A lion's paw was extended out towards the monkey, and Molly knew, deep down, that she wasn't dreaming.

...

Startled when she started screaming, Scar got to his feet and went to her, "It's alright human, it's only temporary."

Backing away from him, she stopped screaming, but now looked ready to bolt. Crouched low to the ground, hind leg muscles coiled and ready to spring into action. He could run her down, he just didn't want to have to.

"Look at me," he demanded, putting himself between her and the open grasslands, "I'm the lion that found you, protected you, even tried to feed you. Do you really think I want to hurt you now?"

Relaxing only the slightest, she looked from Scar to Rafiki (who gave her a rather sheepish smile) and back again, "Why turn me into a lioness?"

Narrowing his eyes, Scar turned his head back to Rafiki, "Ask the baboon."

Shrugging his shoulders, Rafiki explained, "Scar was adamant about keeping you with him, ignoring my warning that a human could not survive out here, living with a lion. So I gave you a new body. The potion will wear off in time."

"How long?" her voice sounded strained, on the verge of snapping.

"A phase of the moon."

"A _month_?" the girl gripped her new claws into the dirt and whipped her head back to Scar, her eyes focusing in on his, as if she could anchor herself to him better than she could the ground.

"We don't know that word," Scar explained, "but if it means the moon completes a circle of change, then yes, a month." He shifted uncomfortably under her stare. He hadn't expected the monkey to bring up his urge to keep the girl, and wasn't prepared to deal with any questions she might have about it.

After a moment, she blinked and let out a long breath. Easing into a sitting position as best as she seemed able to, she returned her gaze to his eyes, or at least one in particular, "Scar is it?"

Inclining his head, Scar relaxed his muscles, but he stayed watchful in case she tried to run. It would be far too dangerous if she got away and was out on her own. She was a brand new lioness without a pride. Unattached to any male. It was written in her smell, something he hadn't recognized when she was human. If he could sniff it out, so could any other male within miles. This was going to complicate things... Damn you monkey, he thought.

"My name is Molly," the girl offered. She still looked petrified, but at least now she had stopped trembling and was speaking with them. "I uh," she glanced at Rafiki again, who introduced himself, "I'm really thirsty," she admitted.

Nodding, Scar turned, "I'll take you to the nearest watering hole. I assume she can drink anything I can, Rafiki?"

"She is a lioness until the potion wears off," he said plainly, "I assume the two of you won't be back until then?"

Already moving away, Scar called over his shoulder, "Goodbye Rafiki. Unfortunately I owe you a great debt. Use it wisely."

...

Watching her paws move awkwardly as she attempted to get used to her own body's walking pattern, Molly didn't notice the dark lion slow to walk beside her. Feeling his gaze on her, she finally glanced up to meet his green eyes. Faltering over a rock, Molly would have blushed if she could.

"Is it hard for you to walk?" Scar asked.

"Just on all fours."

"But Rafiki and the others like him can switch between the two ways of walking. Do you _only_ walk on your hind legs?"

He seemed terribly amused and Molly felt even more embarrassed, Nodding, she explained, "Some people think we used to walk the way Rafiki does, but we...changed."

"Your people can change animals to humans the way Rafiki turned you into a lioness?" His eyes were wide with wonder.

Shaking her head, Molly laughed a little, "Not yet, but can't say no one's trying. We changed over a long period. Slowly learned how to walk upright."

"Could you teach me?"

Swallowing, Molly tried to find the words. Of course lions didn't understand evolution, it was just life to them. "I don't...I don't have the power to do that Scar. I'm sorry," she raised her hand to pet his mane as she had gotten into the habit of doing, and lowered it awkwardly when she remembered it was a paw. How did lions comfort each other? Standing in silence, she watched those intent green eyes absorb what she had said. He didn't react, just started walking to the watering hole again.

...

A few gazelle were on the other side of the water when Scar slid from the grass along the bank. Heads lifting in alarm, they only relaxed a little as he bent his head to drink. Once Molly appeared behind him, they bolted.

Chuckling as the girl lowered her head, Scar watched them flee, "We make quite a commotion around watering holes."

Busy trying to teach herself how to lap up water with her tongue, Molly gave no answer save a long-suffering look up at him.

Winking, Scar sat back on his haunches, "Don't worry, Molly, I didn't know how to drink water on my first day as a lion either."

Laughing, she coughed a little and tried again, finally getting it. Drinking her fill, she followed Scar to the shade under an outcropping of rock to the right. Stretching out on the cool sand, Scar smiled as she tried to figure out the positioning of her tail as she sat.

"Rafiki said you wanted to keep me with you," she said, still staring out at the watering hole.

"I do."

"Why?"

"Do you want to leave?"

She turned quickly, and he knew the answer was 'no' before she opened her mouth, "Of course not. You don't know how often I dreamed of being turned into an animal. Being a lion, being here is..." she trailed off and pawed at a stone at her feet, "I wouldn't want to go."

Standing, Scar went to sit next to her. He didn't know what to say. He was never very good at talking to others. Instead, he leaned in and gently rubbed his head against hers. Surprised when she tucked her head under his chin and purred, Scar sighed, _What am I doing?_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was a long time before Molly broke the silence, "Scar, I don't think I ever thanked you, not when you could understand me at least."

"For what?"

"For saving me...twice."

"Hmm," was his only answer.

Smiling, Molly remained tucked under Scar's chin as she watched a few gazelle return to the water's edge. It was peaceful here. She could feel the heat of the sun working on her despite them being in the shade. A few birds sang in a nearby tree and countless insects danced and buzzed above the waters surface. Feeling lazy, Molly slumped a little and lowered herself to her stomach. Following suit, Scar sighed, content, as he stretched out on the cool ground again.

"We can rest here for the day," Scar said, "Nothing should bother us, and we can hunt when the sun goes down."

"Hunt?"

"Yes. We have to eat," Scar raised an eyebrow at her, "Oh, don't worry about me hunting too, I'm used to doing the work. Mufasa may have his females to do all his hunting for him, but I've had to feed myself for a while. I'll help you."

"But I- Scar, I've never gone hunting."

"What do you eat then? I saw you eat fruit like a monkey, but there's not enough fruit around to keep your lion body full. Can you eat grass?"

Shaking her head, dumbfounded, Molly said, "We can eat meat, it's just that... I've never had to kill it, and we cook it."

"The female humans don't hunt?"

"No."

"What do you do then?"

"Well...we take care of the young."

He didn't look convinced, and she didn't blame him. Her kinds customs were bound to seem just as odd to him as the lions were to her. "Everything's...very different in the human world, Scar, even among ourselves. Too different to explain in words really. Here, the humans have to hunt to eat. Where I come from, hunting is something people choose to do for fun. They don't HAVE to kill something, they could just go get something from someone else that that person killed, and so on."

"You're scavengers like vultures?" Scar's tone held much disdain.

"Hmph, no!"

"Then what?" exasperated, the big lion tossed his head.

"I...I don't know how to explain it to you Scar. Just...understand that I've never been hunting."

Watching her, he asked, "Would it make you unhappy?"

Molly shrugged, "I'm really not sure. I think so. I don't think I could kill anything, especially not up close with my teeth." Shuddering, Molly tried to stop thinking of chasing down a helpless gazelle and biting down; its lifeblood exploding into her hungry mouth. Her stomach churned.

"Molly."

Looking up into those bright green eyes, Molly felt herself being grounded again.

"I will hunt for you, but you must eat, whether it's what you're used to or not. You can't let your body die because you're uncomfortable." He spoke softly and matter-of-factly and she felt tension ease in her shoulders.

"Thank you, Scar."

"Don't thank me yet," his eyes sharpened their focus on her, "You WILL help me. You won't have to kill anything, but I expect you to help me track and run things down. Do you understand?"

Swallowing and nodding, Molly wondered what exactly she'd gotten herself into. For a little while, she'd been a bit worried about whether this potion would really wear off in a month or not. Now, she began to worry that even if it did, she wouldn't be able to go back to being a human being.

...

Laying his head on his paws, Scar told Molly, "Get some sleep. You will need it."

Watching her as she shifted around and tried to find a comfortable position to lay in, Scar felt a smile start on his face. Turning, she caught him and narrowed her eyes, "You're not laughing at me, are you?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," he lied.

"Sure," Molly finally gave up and flopped herself down onto her side, "You wouldn't find it so humorous if the roles were reversed."

"What, if Rafiki had turned me into a human instead?"

"Why not? He changed me. What would be so hard about doing it the other way? Then you'd have to figure out how to walk on two legs with no tail and sit in chairs," she laughed a little as her eyes closed.

Staring at her, Scar's mind started to turn. What if the monkey COULD do everything backwards? He'd be able to become human and leave the Pridelands, go wherever he wanted. He could get away from Mufasa and his damned pride, the hyenas, all of it.

"But only for a month," Scar reminded himself. A splash brought his head round to the watering hole. One of the gazelles had fallen in and was scrambling to get out of the water, terrified of what dangers might lurk beneath its surface. Making it to dry land, the gazelle kicked its legs and disappeared into the tall grasses. Eyes trailing back to Molly, Scar shifted and reached out his neck so his cheek rested against the back of her head. He only had one month.

...

Over the few days that she had been recovering under the care of Rafiki, Molly had become fairly accustomed to the regular noises of the plains. That had all been with human ears however, and now as she tried to sleep the day away, her lion ears twitched at even the slightest sound. Every time a fish came to the surface of the nearby water, or a small rodent scurried through the grass, she knew about it. At first it bothered her, how could anyone function with that much sound pouring into their head? But as she lay there dozing, it became easier to filter out things that didn't matter, like ignoring background chatter in any noisy bar back home. Rolling over, Molly listened for Scar's breathing. It was slow and deep, never wavering. Smiling, Molly drifted into full sleep.

Her over-sensitive ears were the first to pick up the voices. It sounded like two English-speaking men, but the conversation certainly didn't match.

"It doesn't smell the same anymore."

"We've been through this, Bapoto. It couldn't have just changed into something else."

"I'm just telling you what I know from the trail. The scent is the same, it's just...different somehow."

"The same but different?"

An exasperated sigh, then, "Masika, we've been tracking Scar and his...whatever since Sarabi picked up the scent days ago."

Blood running cold, Molly shoved her head against Scars, lifting his chin unceremoniously off his paws and plopping his head onto the ground roughly. Snorting, he woke, glaring and looking ready to take her head off. Shushing him, Molly nodded towards the right of their little alcove. The two trackers, whatever they were, were almost on top of them.

...

When his face had hit the ground, he'd been angry with Molly, his eyes flying open, ready to demand what the hell she thought she was doing. Hearing the voices of two of Mufasa's pride members, Scar rose to his feet and nudged Molly closer to the wall, "Move quietly, and stay low." Turning back to the lions, he waited, tail swishing in agitation as Bapoto and Masika came into view.

The two young lions were on the cusp of being old enough to leave the pride to make their own. Scar had no doubt they would end up forging one together. He remembered them as cubs and how inseparable they'd been then. The fact that Sarabi had sent these two instead of a pair of her lionesses meant this was a tentative and friendly house call. Which meant they wanted something from him.

"Scar!" Bapoto called out and smiled, "We're glad we finally found you!"

Nodding to the loud young male, Scar turned to Masika, "What do I owe the pleasure?"

Shifting under the older lions gaze, Masika reverted back to when he was a cub, "Sorry to bother you, Scar, sir, but Sarabi sent us after you to find out-"

"Who the lioness with me is?" Scar interrupted.

They exchanged puzzled expressions. Bapoto spoke up first, "We-that is, Sarabi and the rest of us thought...we thought we smelled a human."

Scar widened his eyes, and burst out laughing, "A human?" Slumping, his shoulders shaking from his deep chuckles, Scar tilted his head, "Why don't the two of you come meet her and see for yourself?"

...

Swallowing hard as she heard Scar invite the two lions over to meet her, Molly stood and went to meet them, trying desperately to not ooze fear into the air. It was her first time meeting any other animals besides Scar and Rafiki, and she was worried what they might do to her if they found out she wasn't 'one of them'.

"Hello," Molly said sweetly as she came around Scar. The two lions were young males with manes on the backs of their necks that hadn't managed to grow any further yet.

Staring at her, the two exchanged a look that she couldn't read. They almost seemed relieved.

"Hello," the one whose voice she recognized as Bapoto's grinned broadly at her, "I had no idea Scar had a-er," he gave Scar an uncertain glance.

"A companion," Masika saved him, "He's been pretty much a loner," he gave the older lion a sideways grin. Shrugging, Scar returned a blank stare to him, neither confirming or denying the observation.

Molly guessed the less she said the better. She didn't want some little detail in what she said giving herself away, so she followed Scar's silent shrug tactic, only with a smile.

Narrowing his eyes, but still smiling at them, Bapoto gave a short laugh, "Aaaalright, Masika, we've done our job, let's get back to Sarabi."

Nodding, Masika turned away without a second glance for Molly. Breathing a sigh of relief, she caught Bapoto and Scar exchanging a look as the younger lion turned to follow his friend. Scar gave the smallest of nods, and Bapoto's grin widened. Turning away, the two lions disappeared up the path, starting a new conversation, this one on what to hunt down for dinner.

"What was that at the end?" Molly whispered, "Did he figure out that I was a human?"

"No, but now they're going to go back to Sarabi and tell her I have a lioness in tow. They'll assume..." he trailed off and looked away from her, "They'll assume we're mating."

Heat swept over her body and Molly looked at her paws, embarrassed. How was a lion making her feel the same way they boys in high school had? It unnerved her.

"Sarabi will send a summoner soon. Maybe even an escort depending on how urgently she and my brother want to meet you. We need to leave the Pridelands for a while."

"Leave where? For how long?" the edge of panic must have been evident in her voice because he turned back to her and rubbed his cheek against hers.

"Don't worry, Molly. I won't let anything happen to you, human or lion form."

Nodding, Molly found she didn't doubt him one bit.

...

Tada! Bet you all thought I was dead! Again, sorry for taking so long, and I am SO grateful to the people still putting up with my crap and still reading when I update. I love hearing from you guys and knowing what parts of the story you like best. From now on I will try to address any comments/questions you guys have at the end of my chapters since I'm horrible about replying to the actual messages. I will also try to make sure I don't make you wait a month or more for chapter 8, but...you know me by now... ;)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The surprise visit from Bapoto and Masika opened a floodgate of questions in Molly. Promising to answer them as long as she started following him out of the Pridelands, Scar tried to think of the shortest answers possible as she trailed behind.

"Who's your brother?"

"Mufasa."

"And why is he so important?"

"My brother is King of Pride Rock, he rules the Pridelands."

"And Sarabi?"

"Mufasa's mate and leader of his hunting party." He hated the next question.

"Why aren't you living in this Pride Rock place with them?"

"I choose not to," he snapped, his voice rougher than he'd intended.

After a pause, Molly asked, "Why would they be so interested in meeting _me_?"

"Like the cub said, I'm known to be a loner."

Another pause, "Then why me?"

"You've already asked that."

"And you already dodged it."

Stopping, Scar looked at her, then away. Sighing, he shook his head, "I don't know."

"_What_?" Her tone made him look back at her; her eyes were staring at him, but they were unfocused, "You don't know?"

Shrugging, Scar frowned, "Why do you care so much?"

Baring her teeth, Molly grunted, imitating her human laugh, "I've been turned into a lion and you wonder why I care so much about the reason behind it?"

Scar sighed again and sat down. It wasn't night time yet, but the sun was already touching the horizon. They'd barely gone past the watering hole. The border of the Pridelands was a whole night away, if they ran.

"I. Don't. Know. What do you want to hear? That it was love at first sight? That I couldn't bear to go a day without you?" agitated, his tail swished violently in the grass, "So far, you've been the only other creature I've had any interest in knowing in my entire life." Snapping his teeth shut on the last part, Scar growled and stormed off into the grass. He ignored Molly's calls and further questions. They would only get him in trouble.

After a while, she quieted and simply followed him along. Stealing a glance at her once, he cursed when he saw the pleased smile on her face.

...

The sun went down.

Molly felt reborn.

Never in her life would she have expected to see anything like it, "Humans really are blind in the dark," she gasped as she stared in wonder.

Scar was standing at the top of the hill on a rock, watching her chase grasshoppers by starlight. There were no clouds, and a sliver of moon shone down. Molly saw everything as easily as if it were noon. Pouncing at another bug (and missing on purpose, of course) Molly jumped down from the hill and went tumbling through the grass. Rolling to a stop on her side and laughing, Molly stood and shook herself.

Seeing Scar at the edge of the hill, peering down at her, Molly crouched playfully. Tail swishing back and forth, she watched him. With a bored expression, he sat down.

Snorting, Molly dug her claws into the dirt and barreled up the slope at him. Surprised, Scar leapt up and dodged her, jumping past her and running headlong down the hill. Throwing up dirt with her paws as she turned herself on his tail, Molly felt exhilarated.

Chasing him across the plains, Molly felt her new body's speed and strength for the first time, and she loved it. She could do anything, _catch_ anything. Kicking it into higher gear, Molly began gaining on Scar. Turning at a sharp angle, Scar gained ground ahead of her again and ran straight for a cliff face. Bunching his legs, he leapt to the top of the rock and spun to watch her.

Setting her jaw, Molly gathered her legs under her, feeling the muscles tense, and jumped higher than she thought possible. But it was too soon. Her jump fell short and her claws scraped stone as she slid to the ground. Slumping to her butt, she glared up at a very smug lion.

"You're pretty fast for a new lion," Scar cooed, "But no one can ever catch me."

"That a fact?"

Grinning, Scar leapt back down next to her. His green eyes seemed to be scanning her face for something. Stepping closer to her, Scar rubbed his face against hers and continued to slide down her body until his head rested against her side. Freezing, Molly let out a breath slowly and tried not to give into the urge to shiver. _What the..._

Gurgles came from her stomach and Scar lifted his head with, "Hmph, just as I thought. Come Molly, I think you have plenty of energy left for lesson one."

...

Scar knew it would take time to teach Molly the basics of hunting before they actually went after anything, but he needed to know exactly how hopeless she really was.

"I want to see what you can manage without me telling you anything," he explained, "There's no reason to waste time on something you don't need to be told. Your instinct should be a decent enough guide."

"My _human_ instinct?" Molly smiled sideways at him.

Scar sighed, "It will have to do. Maybe your new body comes with new instincts."

Giving him a doubtful look, Molly said, "That's why I made the jump so easily."

Ignoring her sarcasm, Scar continued, "I want to see if you can sneak up on me."

"While you're expecting me?" she raised an eyebrow, "Unlikely."

"Like I said, I want to see what you need instruction on. If that means everything, so be it."

Rolling her eyes, Molly trotted off a few feet, "Are you gonna stay there then or is it like hide-and-seek?"

"Hide-and-seek?"

"Yeah, you hide, I-"

"I know what it is," Scar cut her off.

Snapping her teeth shut, Molly leaned a little to one side as she stared at him, waiting.

Not recognizing this body language, Scar went on, "We play it too. I didn't know humans played games like us."

"I didn't either," Molly said, smiling.

"Hide-and-seek with me will have to wait until you're a little more experienced, I think," he half-teased.

Molly snorted, "We'll see about that. I've already got skills, you teach me too well and I just might end up becoming the hide-and-seek master."

Grinning, Scar nodded his head towards the other side of the hill, "I'll be out in the open, facing away from your direction, but give me time."

"How long?"

Scar was already off, "However long you think it will take me," he called over his shoulder.

...

"Lions obviously don't have watches..." Molly sighed, and watched Scar as he ran up and over the hill. How in the world did he expect her to be able to sneak up on him? He'd been a lion all his life, she'd made the change-over that very morning. This body was unfamiliar to her. She felt she would have had better luck sneaking up on him in her loud and clumsy human form.

Starting forward after counting to one hundred, Molly trotted up the hill at a brisk pace, but slowed once she reached the top. Peering down the other side, she saw a path in the grass leading back around where they'd been headed. Making her way to the entrance, she hesitated and looked around, stretching her head up high. The grass was tall enough to obscure her sight of Scar, but his big body had made the path perfectly clear. Lowering herself so her stomach almost scraped the ground, Molly crawled forward as silently as she could. Having already learned to trust in her new sensitive ears, Molly twitched and strained them to listen for anything moving or breathing in the grass. Sniffing at the air, she was shocked to find that she could almost sense a trail leading her through the grass, straight to him. His scent filled her nose, and she slithered along the path until the grass abruptly ended and a patch of worn dirt opened up before her.

Facing away like he'd promised, Scar sat fifty feet from her. Taking a deep breath, Molly crept out of the grass and, moving painfully slow, closed the distance between them.

Not turning, or acknowledging her in any way, Scar continued to stare out at nothing, his tail curling back and forth behind him.

There was no way he'd heard her. She'd impressed herself with how quickly and quietly she'd caught up to him. Was she really going to manage to sneak up on a lion? Excitement welled up in Molly as she came within touching distance of him. Straightening, she gave an evil grin and leaned forward.

"You're not very good at this at all," Scar said.

...

Scar had heard elephants move more silently than Molly had. He'd heard her since she'd reached this side of the hill, even before she plunged into the grass. When he could clearly hear her breathing behind him, he'd learned enough about her 'skills' to assess the situation. He had a lot of work.

"What do you mean not good?" Molly demanded, "I even sniffed you out!"

Furrowing his eyebrows, Scar asked, "The path wasn't enough for you?"

"That's not-I mean... Damn it, I don't even understand how I could have done badly. I thought..." staring at her feet, she gave up trying to explain herself.

"What did you think, Molly?"

Shaking her head, she answered him anyway, "I thought I was being so quiet and clever. I wouldn't even know what to change to make myself do any better."

"I think that's why it's called learning."

Raising her eyes, Molly met his with a reluctant half-smile. Her stomach growled for food again.

"Tonight, however, lessons are over. It's time for you to eat."

...

Molly stared down at the dead zebra, its throat torn to shreds, dead eyes wide with fright. Scar was already chewing hungrily at one of its hind legs. He hadn't allowed her to watch him kill it.

"We'll see if you can eat it first. Then you can watch me kill," he'd said.

Smart lion.

Stomach roiling and warring with her brain, Molly shook her head and gasped. Lifting his head from his meal, Scar watched her intently, "Molly?"

Shaking her head harder, Molly told herself to stop looking at its face. If she just looked at something else and imagined steak... Again, the hunger pains in her gut screamed for her to take a bite. To please eat SOMETHING. Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth wide and clamped down. Blood and fur filled her mouth and even as she salivated, her gag reflex tried to reject it. Ripping off a chunk, she felt it tear and a dangling wet bit slapped against her chin like a lasagna noodle. Chewing as fast as she could, Molly swallowed and gasped for air. Opening her eyes, she found Scar watching her still. Licking her lips, she swallowed again and took another deep breath.

"Molly?" Scar asked again, "Are you alright?"

Unfortunately, she was just fine. The hunk of raw zebra settled cozily in her stomach, her mouth watering for another bite. Bending down, she said, "I don't want to talk about it right now," and took another bite.

Once she'd eaten her fill, Molly walked quite a ways off from the dead animal and Scar, who wasn't quite finished. Sitting and staring up at the stars, Molly thought on how easy it had been to devour the raw meat fresh off the bone of an animal. It had still been warm, and she'd found that only added to her craving. It bothered her, but not as much as she had expected. Maybe Scar had been right and her body _had_ come with a few new instinctual add-ins.

The wind blew and brought Scar's scent with it. Turning her head as he came to stand beside her, she gave him a brief smile, then looked back up at the stars, "They're beautiful out here. You can't see them very well from where I live. The city lights are too bright to get a worthwhile look."

"You...can't see them at all?" Scar sounded more concerned than Molly would have expected.

"Well, kinda. I mean, we can see the really bright ones, but _this_ is just..." she grinned at him, but he only frowned back, "What? What did I say?"

"If you can't see them...how do they watch over you?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Molly asked, "The stars?"

"No, not just the stars," Scar looked up at the sky, "The Kings of the Past."

Staring, Molly didn't know what to say. Was this some sort of lion religion no one knew about?

"Molly," Scar's voice changed, he sounded like a kid who's realized the truth about Santa, "What do you think stars are?"

"Well, humans have been able to discover that they're suns, like ours, only they're much, much further away."

"Suns," Scar still remained fixated on the sky, "How have you discovered this?"

Uh-oh... "We... Some of our kind have gone up high, higher than the birds and clouds. We've found out a lot about what's outside our world."

His body shivered once, and the male lion whispered to himself as he lowered his head, "My father...my grandfather..."

"Scar?"

He looked at her, "I don't understand why our parents would tell us such stories...if they didn't think they were true."

"They probably did think they were true, Scar, and they still might be. There's plenty that us hoity-toity humans don't know squat about. The afterlife would be one big one. Changing someone's species would be another one," she nudged him gently and smiled.

Returning her smile, Scar asked, "When your family dies, do you believe they go to live among the stars?"

Molly smiled and nodded, then rubbed her chin against Scar's shoulder, "We're not royalty, but I think they're up there."

Chuckling, Scar asked a question that puzzled her, "Have they ever come to help you?"

Hesitating, Molly shook her head in bewilderment, "No...never."

Taking one last long stare at the sky, Scar said, "Mine neither."

...

Sooo... This one was a tough one to get through. Once again, I failed you guys by taking a long time, but unfortunately I have a reason. One of my cats passed away in a bad way right in front of me. I won't depress you with the story, besides I don't like retelling it. Needless to say, the last thing I felt inspired to do for the last two months was to write about felines... And the chapter still turned morbid, after all my attempts to steer it out of that. I guess it is what it wanted to be though, and maybe it's what I needed. I dunno...

As promised, here are my replies to you guys since last time:

A HUGE thank you to the following readers that sent such awesome comments, I love hearing from you guys!

Princess1heart1hubby, Katara Melody Cullen, Lady Minuialwen, kid23jk7, Reldor (Lol, no steamy love...yet...), Lorna Roxen, compa16, Crystal991 (Lol, wow thank you! Glad it's keeping your interest!), sandradee27, sisi-cat-chan, shadowoftheblackdeat, BrightShadowWalker (ROFL! Oh yes, I have big plans for all the numerous ways to make them both as uncomfortable as possible. Absolutely LOVE the Ghost in the Darkness idea, it's a great movie, why _shouldn't_ they watch it? ;) Lol), foreverlostdreamer (They'll definitely meet up sooner or later, but I'm enjoying writing about just Scar and Molly too for now. Glad you're enjoying it!), sarahthepirate98, PlaguingYou'reDreams, England101 (In _almost_ complete agreement with Scar being numero uno, I love me some Jafar from Aladdin, so they're kinda neck-and-neck... Lol, I don't think I'd react as well either), Erik-is-my-angel-1234, mystic twilight princess, Nefeli Psycho (Thanks, glad you stuck with it and that it changed your mind! ;) As far as the M rating goes, I'm not sure I could pull off a believable erotic scene between two animals...but Disney's certainly given me plenty of material to work with...), Durimu (Lol, and here I was worried my chapters were on the long side!)

Thank you again, tons of love to every last one of you!

Any other questions or comments? Ask away, I'll reply at the bottom of the next chapter. :)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

They had made decent time, but they weren't as far as Scar would have liked. He would have pushed on, but he could tell Molly was exhausted and needed a place to sleep. Morning wasn't far off, and they would need shade. A ready water source was always handy too. Scar knew this part of the Pridelands well, it was his usual path in and out. He knew exactly where they would stay.

"Just a little further, Molly."

Nodding sleepily, she walked alongside him as he led her down towards a new watering hole. There were no other animals around it, only the birds. The lions rarely came out this way, and it was too small to attract any herds. They wouldn't have to worry about anyone catching them sleeping here. Following the rock face next to the pool of water, Scar led Molly down to a small cave hidden by overhanging plants from the banks above. When the rains came, the cave was completely underwater, but now it was dry and inviting.

Sliding in behind Scar, Molly blinked once, then sat down, "We there?"

Tilting his head, Scar went to the back of the cave and stretched out on the dirt, "We're where we're sleeping for the day. But we're not out of the Pridelands yet."

"Oh," she opened her mouth wide and yawned, then slumped to the ground next to him.

"Tired?" Scar chuckled.

She didn't answer, only snuggled up closer to him. Looking her over, Scar watched her red side rise and fall as her breathing slowed and she fell asleep. What he had told her earlier came to the forefront of his memory suddenly. Had he really admitted to her that she was the only thing he cared about? He hadn't meant it to come out like that. Truth be told, he hadn't meant for any of it to come gushing out like it had. The part that had scared him most was that he'd almost meant the love at first sight part...

Scar couldn't imagine what the others might think if they found out what Molly was. He wasn't worried about Rafiki telling Mufasa. The monkey had no need to tell his brother, and Scar got the feeling that Rafiki didn't want trouble for Molly anymore than he did. But he knew they wouldn't let him get out of introducing her. They might not care if he ran off with her afterwards and never bothered them again, but he would still have to risk Molly being the center of attention of an entire pride. Closing his eyes and rubbing his cheek against the back of Molly's head, Scar sighed and resigned himself to sleep.

...

Scar knew he was dreaming the moment it started because Mufasa was there and they were actually getting along. The last time they'd been on good terms, they'd been cubs and their family had been whole, but there his older brother was; grinning and shining in the sun, like the King he was.

They were wrestling in the tall, cool grass under the shadow of Pride Rock. Mufasa was winning of course, he was always better at the physical games. Shoulders pinned to the ground, Scar scowled up at his brother, "Alright, alright, let me up!"

"Not until you tell me."

Rolling his eyes, Scar winced at the light nip his brother gave him on one ear, "Fine, her name's Molly."

"That's an unusual name," Mufasa laughed, but let Scar up and asked another question, "Who's her father? I don't know of any Molly's in the pride."

Shaking his head, Scar stared at the ground, "I uh...I don't know who her father is."

Tilting his head, Mufasa gave him a searching look before breaking into another grin, "Why you...you've gone and fallen in love at first sight! My own baby brother! I didn't think you'd ever find a lioness that you could even tolerate, let alone love."

Shifting his paws, Scar admitted, "She's not a lioness, brother."

Laughing, Mufasa bit at Scar's mane, "So what is she? A hippo? A crocodile?" falling over from his own jokes, Mufasa froze when Scar answered.

"Molly is human."

Silence, then, "Is this a joke, Scar?"

Meeting his brother's eyes, Scar shook his head.

Eyes widening, Mufasa climbed to his feet, an odd smile pulling at one side of his mouth, "A human? You're in love with a human being?" the laugh that escaped him was loud and taunting, "Come, little brother. What will father say?"

"I...don't care."

Narrowing his eyes, Mufasa shook his head, "You're a fool Scar. A lion can't love a human and a human will _never_ love a lion."

Scar wanted to tell him he was wrong, but as he opened his mouth, the world slipped away like water. He heard his name being called urgently from above and opened his eyes to find Molly standing over him protectively, baring her teeth at the entrance to the shallow cave.

Moving his gaze, Scar saw what had her all riled. Three hyenas blinked at him and his crazed bodyguard from just outside.

"Boss?" Banzai's ears perked up at the sight of Scar turning his head, "You alright?."

"I'm fine. Molly is a friend," getting to his feet, Scar blinked at the small rays of sunlight that slipped into the cave, "The three of you can wait outside."

Snorting and exchanging a look, Shenzi and Banzai gave Molly one last glance before obeying Scar and running off, Ed not far behind.

...

"What was that all about? I thought lions and hyenas didn't get along," Molly asked. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Waking up to three hyena faces staring right at her was not her idea of a good time. She must have been more tired than she'd thought if she hadn't heard them come into the cave. When she'd clambered to her feet, snarling and putting herself between them and Scar, they'd only stood there. She had expected an attack, but then one of them had looked at Scar and had said tentatively, "Boss?"

"Why do they listen to you?" Molly asked another question as Scar gave her an odd look.

Instead of answering her questions, Scar asked one of his own, "Were you really going to protect me just now?"

"Of course!" Furrowing her eyebrows, Molly tilted her head and swiveled her ears forward, "I don't know who they are, they could have been attacking us! You were asleep, what else was I supposed to do?"

Laughing, Scar rubbed against her again, this time sliding his whole body down one side of hers. She couldn't stop the shivers this time and felt heat flood over her body. Hesitating, he came round to her front again, his green eyes staring into her blue. Molly felt like the walls of their little cave were closing in, and her chest felt heavy, making it hard to breathe.

"I-" she said, and there was yelping from outside and one of the hyenas came rushing into the cave.

"Boss! Boss! We gotta go!"

Scar whirled with a snarl, "What is it Banzai?"

Skidding to a halt, the hyena whimpered once, then reported, "S-sorry boss, but Sarabi's hunting party is coming this way. If they catch us in the Pridelands, we're dead meat!"

Molly watched Scar's face go slack, his eyes filled with panic, "Damn her," he whispered. It was gone in a second, he was cool and calm again, and nodded to the hyena, "The three of you go. Molly and I will meet you in the graveyard tonight."

Scampering off, the hyena called for the other two as he burst from the cave and they were off. Following Scar from the darkness of the cave, Molly blinked at the brightness and missed what Scar saw at first.

"How did she manage to catch up with us this quickly?" he snarled, "It should have been at least another day."

Following his gaze, Molly squinted her eyes and saw a far off group of lions moving across the plains in their direction, "Maybe they just happen to be in the area?"

Scar shook his head, "The hunting parties never come out this far. There's no need to, there's no food. That bitch is trailing me," his hackles rose and claws dug into the dirt.

"Should we run too?"

"No," he sighed, "They would only follow. We might as well get it over with here and now."

Flicking her tail nervously, Molly scooted closer to him, "Scar? What should I do?"

Smiling, Scar gently leaned his weight against her reassuringly, "Stay by me, and try not to talk," standing, he walked to the water's edge and lapped at it gently. Following behind, Molly kept her eyes on the approaching lions as she bent her own head for a drink. They worried her, why would Scar be so worried about keeping her a secret if they weren't going to react badly to her? She wished desperately she'd read up more on lions before coming on her safari. Although everything about her experiences with Scar so far made her think that anything she'd learned from a human about ANY animal should be taken with a major grain of salt...

...

Lifting his head from the water, Scar counted twelve of them. Bapoto and Masika were nowhere to be seen. They were all females, come to think of it. He tensed more, what did Sarabi want?

The big female led her hunting party down to the watering hole. They fanned out on all sides, watching Scar and Molly closely. Scar sensed Molly coming up beside him. Coming to a stop before Scar, Sarabi's eyes brushed past him and fell on Molly. There was a tightening in her expression and she turned back to Scar.

"Sarabi," Scar bowed his head ever so slightly in her direction, "To what do I owe the visit?"

"Scar," Sarabi sat, looking past him to Molly again, "And you are?"

"Molly."

"Molly?" Sarabi narrowed her eyes. Turning back to Scar, she said, "I thought I smelled a human with you, but apparently I was mistaken. I didn't believe Bapoto and Masika had been thorough enough. Tell me Molly, where do you come from?"

"What does it matter?" Scar demanded, but it was Molly that quieted him with a rub of her cheek.

"I was held captive by humans," Molly explained, "They found me when I was injured. They healed me and released me just the other day. Scar found me, wandering lost. I'm far from my home in the West."

Blinking down at her, Scar felt his mouth hanging open slightly. Closing it, he looked back to Sarabi and the others. Sarabi's eyes had softened, and the others were no longer in attack mode.

"Humans? Are you alright?"

"Er, yeah, like I said, they helped me get better."

"Humans did that?"

"Well yeah-"

"Are you sure?"

"Look, what kind of humans do you know?" Molly asked.

The lioness' looked to each other and shrugged. Sarabi shook her head, "None to be honest."

"Our ancestors have always told us to be wary of them," one of them spoke up.

"I was told the same, but these ones were different," Molly tried again.

There were murmurs and nods within the group, but Sarabi kept watching Molly, "So Scar took you in out of the kindness of his heart?"

"Implying something are we, Sarabi?" Scar asked.

"Just trying to understand why you suddenly have an interest in a lone lioness."

Did she think he was taking advantage of Molly in some way? Scar snorted, it was completely impossible for any of the lions in his brothers pride to believe that he was anything like them. That HE would yearn for companionship seemed wrong to them. He was about to counter when Molly bristled next to him.

"What exactly _are_ you implying?"

...

Molly didn't like the way Sarabi looked at and spoke to Scar, like he was something beneath her. Who the hell did she think she was? _Queen of the Pridelands_ a voice in her head said. It still wasn't any way for her to treat her brother-in-law.

"Scar saved my life multiple times over the last few days," Molly growled, "I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for him. Who are you to question his reasons?"

Sarabi's eyes widened as Molly spoke, and once she was finished, the big lioness turned back to Scar, "It seems I was mistaken, Scar. Your mate cares for you a great deal to speak to her queen in such a way." Turning her back on a speechless Molly and Scar, Sarabi called over her shoulder, "Mufasa _does_ want to see you, Scar. You are summoned to him before the full moon," she ran off, her hunting party falling in behind her as they went back the way they came.

...

Random trivia of the day: That dream sequence has been written since I first had the idea for this fanfic...

Anyway, Happy Independence Day to my American readers! For another two hours at least... (where I am ;P) I'm going to be lax with writing answers to your comments this round because it's late and I still haven't eaten dinner, but I wanted to get the chapter up because 1) I know you're all patiently waiting and 2) I wanted to imagine the look on your faces when you see that I've actually uploaded two chapters within a month's span. Mwahahaha! Hehe, seriously though, I'm hungry and you're all wonderful! XD So I hope you enjoyed and hopefully you'll enjoy the next one! Much love to all of you until next time!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Neither of them brought up Sarabi's comment to the other. Scar simply turned right around and walked right back into the cave; Molly following him. Silence stretched between them for a long time. Scar turned himself round and laid down, watching her. She froze under his stare, unsure of whether to be close to him or not.

"Come here," he said.

Obeying, Molly laid down next to him stiffly, embarrassed and awkward. Molly thought back to the moment in the cave earlier, just before the surprise visit. It had been like back when she was human and a guy was about to kiss her for the first time. Somehow, Scar kept stirring up emotions that she didn't think she should be having for a member of another species, regardless of what body she was in at the time. The real Molly was human, and nature had already clearly decided that humans and lions weren't compatible mates.

"I am sorry for Sarabi."

Shocked, Molly stared, "What are you apologizing for her for?"

Scar smiled, "Not sure really. I guess I feel responsible since she's my brother's mate," he sighed and looked her face over again. Uncomfortable, Molly fidgeted, but Scar moved his face forward and rubbed his cheek against her and she froze again. He chuckled and pulled back only a little, "Thank you for standing up to her for me. No one's ever done something like that for me before."

"Oh, you're welcome," Molly looked away, but Scar waited for her to look back.

"I could smell you were afraid. But you stood up to her anyway."

"Hmph, I was more angry than afraid," her claws flexed against the ground, "Why does she treat you like that?"

Seeing her flustered over him seemed to amuse him, because Scar chuckled again and licked her face, "Don't worry, Molly, I'm used to it."

Only a little phased by the lick, Molly mumbled under her breath, "I still don't like it."

Laughing, Scar shoved his head against her side and rolled her over onto her back, "And what are you going to do about it, human? You wouldn't stand a chance against Sarabi," he draped his body across her middle, pinning her.

"Oof, Scar!" Molly gasped, "Get off!" shoving at him with her paws, Molly kicked awkwardly with her back legs, trying to find his stomach and get a hold.

"You see?" he asked, a little high on his own superiority for Molly's tastes, "You're not ready for any fight."

"Who said I was going to fight her?" she stopped squirming and glared up at him.

"Hmm," Scar regarded her out of the corner of his eye, "Would you? If it needed to be done?"

What kind of a question... "Scar, do you need me to beat someone up for you?"

"Would you?"

Molly had thought they were joking, but now he seemed half-serious. The only thing that kept her from being scared was the grin on his face, he smiled like it was all just a joke.

"Scar," Molly didn't feel like playing with him anymore, "Please, let me up."

His eyebrows furrowed, the smile disappeared from his face. Sliding off of her carefully and silently, he pulled back and sat up straight, watching her with cool green eyes as she righted herself and sat up as well.

"I'm sorry Scar."

He didn't answer, only watched her. Swallowing, Molly tried to sort her thoughts and wrap her head around the situation. It seemed ludicrous that she would be having doubts _now_, but Scar's growing attention and the way she was reacting to it was terrifying and confusing her. What she'd really wanted to do when he'd flipped her over was pull him down and wrestle with him, but she was too afraid of what might happen afterward. And what was going to happen in a month when she turned human again? _Fuck_, she thought, _Things like this were never covered in any of dad's great life lessons._

Taking a deep breath, Molly forced herself to make eye contact with the big lion sitting opposite her. "Scar, I have a question that I don't think you're going to like, but I want you to hear me out."

Giving the slightest of nods while his face somehow seemed to darken, Scar gave his consent.

"Okay, um, well," Damn, was she really going to be this blunt? "Scar, do you expect me to stay here with you, forever?"

There wasn't even a flicker of emotion on his face when he said, "No."

Which meant 'yes'.

"If I tried to leave...what would you do?"

"You said you only had one question."

"I lied? Look, I'm sorry I just-"

Getting to his feet, Scar shook his head, "All of this is foolish. If you're going to continue to stop and question every single step of this, then obviously it's something you don't want. I'll take you back to Rafiki. You can stay with him until you change back, then you can go home."

"But, Scar I-"

"_What_ Molly?" his voice was harsh. She had hurt him. "Damnit, are all you humans like this? You're so indecisive!"

"You have no idea what this is like for me!" she shot back.

"No, you're right, I don't. But if you had a problem with it in the beginning, why didn't you just deal with it then? Why is this all coming out now?"

"I didn't expect all the attention so soon," she tried. Maybe he'd think it was a viable excuse.

"Oh grow up, Molly," he gave up standing and flopped his backside onto the ground. She really was annoying him.

Molly felt like this whole thing had gotten out of control. She hadn't meant for them to start yelling at each other, but Scar seemed to take her uncertainty personally. Maybe he was used to rejection, and everything she had said had sounded familiar to him. She had to make him understand.

"Scar," she waited for eye contact, then smiled and walked towards him, "I'm sorry my human emotions are getting all chaotic and in the way. I really do like being with you, and being here. It's just..."

"Lions have chaotic emotions too, Molly. We're no different from you in that perspective," sighing deeply, he rubbed his chin against the top of her head, then lowered his gaze to look her in the eye again, "But we know when something good comes along, to hold onto it and enjoy it, because chances are it's not going to be around for long." Giving her cheek another gentle lick, he got to his feet again and brushed past her gently.

Speechless, she let him go.

...

Gritting his teeth, Scar paced and silently cursed everything from earth to sky, wishing the worst possible pain for Sarabi and Rafiki imaginable. He was certain Molly's worries were centered around the queen, but that the real troubles had started with Rafiki's impromptu potion. He remembered a much more playful Molly as a human. She didn't mind it when he rolled her onto her back and laid on top of her. Why had she changed?

"Scar?"

He didn't turn to acknowledge her, only waited for her to come out of the cave and stand next to him, "Scar... When Sarabi called me your mate..."

Bracing himself for another annoying, emotion-bending question, Scar was surprised when she took a deep breath and admitted, "It made me happy..."

Swiveling his head, Scar stared at her. Was she lying? Was she only saying that because they'd fought?

"I want to explain to you why I'm so freaked out about everything. I think it should make you feel better by the end of it...I hope."

Scar nodded for her to continue.

"I know I seem like I don't want to be here, but that's not true. I've just never gone through anything like this before, and to my knowledge, neither has any other human being. I'm terrified of what might happen to me out here, but what scares me most," she hesitated and swallowed, "I'm scared of how you make me feel."

"What do you mean?"

Looking down at her paws, Molly muttered something that sounded like, "Damn boys," under her breath, then looked back up at him, flustered. Coming closer, she leaned forward and tucked her head up against his mane, nuzzling her face into his shoulder and neck. Pulling back, she gave his cheek a slow lick, then stepped back.

Head spinning, Scar couldn't help the silly grin that he knew must be crossing his face, "You're still too indecisive," he teased.

...

Molly felt like she was glowing as she walked beside Scar now. If she thought about it too much, she realized how ridiculous it all was...so she forced herself to not think about it. The grass started dying off under her feet, and soon there was nothing but dirt and a few struggling weeds.

"Scar? Where are we going?"

"To my home."

He lived out here, in this desolate place?

"I'm sorry it won't be a beautiful place like the Pridelands," he said sincerely, though with a bitter tinge, "But it will be safe."

They topped a hill and Molly looked beneath her to find hundreds and hundreds of elephant bones scattered across the land. Scar's home, an elephant graveyard.

"Boss!" the three hyenas from before rushed out of one of the huge skulls and came to meet them, "You're alright!"

"Of course I'm alright," Scar rolled his eyes, "Sarabi isn't about to assassinate me just for being a thorn in her side."

The hyenas eyed Molly warily and she felt a little out of place. Clearly they didn't think she was welcome here.

"May I ask the three of you what you think you're staring at?" Scar asked lazily, inspecting the claws of his right paw.

Tails tucking between their legs, the trio exchanged a look, and the female answered, "N-nothing, Scar."

"That's good," beckoning Molly to walk alongside him, Scar stepped right over them, "You'll show Molly the same respect you show me, is that understood?"

Nodding in unison, the hyenas watched them as they walked further into the graveyard.

"Don't ever let them intimidate you," Scar said to her quietly, "I am their master."

Not knowing what to say, Molly only nodded. Sticking close to Scar, Molly saw more and more of the hyenas the deeper they went into the graveyard. Their stares of uncertainty were driving her up the wall. Finally, she spun around and announced, "Hello! My name is Molly. I guess I'll be living with all of you for a while."

Dumbfounded, Scar and the hyenas all just stared at her. Biting her lip, Molly felt heat flow across her body in waves. Why were they all just staring like that? Didn't they have social skills? The three original hyenas had followed them through the graveyard, and now the one with the dangling tongue and wild eyes came up to Molly cautiously. Sniffing at her, he acted like any common dog she'd ever met as a human. As soon as he had her scent and knew it was friendly, his tail started wagging and he gave her one of his goofy grins. Touching noses with him for lack of anything better to do as a greeting in her lion body, Molly smiled back at him as the others came closer and sniffed her as well. Soon she had a swarm of wiggling, sniffing hyenas all around her, Scar backing off, his face still slack with the same shocked expression.

Shrugging as she smiled across the sea of hyenas at him, Molly said, "At least they like me."

...

Daaaawww, lookit, puppies! ;P

Slacking again with answering you guys. Cause I suck and can barely get a chapter up let alone keep up with my promise of answering you guys. I know, I know, you can kill me when it's over. But at least I got some lovies between Scar and Molly! Squee! Hopefully that'll keep me from being crucified for a little longer. ;) I'm so sorry you guys have to practically beat me with a stick to get me to post, but I also thank you guys for sticking around AND for being direct with me when I'm clearly leaving you in the dark. In other words...I'm sorry and I love you guys and please, please, PLEASE forgive me!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Standing on the fringes of the mass of hyenas gathered around Molly, Scar watched, completely at a loss of what to say. They'd _never_ acted like this before, and certainly not around a lion. They didn't even greet _him_ like this.

"Hello, Shenzi," Molly was saying after the female hyena introduced herself, "I'm sorry for growling at you guys earlier."

A few pups ran past Scar, one ran right over his paw. Scar retreated another step from the growing horde around Molly.

"Ooh!" she squealed as the pups reached her, "Aren't you cute!" Catching his eye again, Molly beamed at Scar, "They're great!"

Nodding absently, Scar took a deep breath. Is this what it would be like if she stayed? The hyenas seemed to be accepting her as family right away. If she stayed...what kind of queen would she make? Shaking himself from his reverie, Scar scoffed at himself. Queen of the Hyenas indeed. Molly deserved better than that. The realization hit him in the heart and gut simultaneously, she deserved better than all of this, even _him_.

_A human can never love a lion_

Blocking out his brothers voice, Scar started forward through the crowd of hyenas to Molly's side. The hyenas separated quickly when they realized who was moving through their ranks. Molly was bending to the ground to roll a pup over playfully. Yipping and squirming, he made her laugh loudly.

"Your hyena family is wonderful, Scar," she said as he reached her.

An awkward silence fell over the pack, and Scar felt out of place in his own home. Noticing, Molly raised her head and twitched her ears, opening her mouth to say something, but obviously not knowing what.

"I'll show you around," Scar interjected.

Saying goodbye to the hyenas as they dispersed, Molly fell into step next to Scar, "I'm sorry if I said something wrong."

"It's just that I and the hyenas both know that our relationship is not that of a family, exactly," he admitted.

Silent for a moment as they went deeper into the graveyard, Molly asked, "Do you rule over them?"

"In a way," he shrugged, "They do as they please most of the time, but listen to me when I tell them where to find food. The three you saw before, they follow me into the Pridelands often. If I were to have friends, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed would be them."

Molly stopped, "IF you were to have friends? Scar," she didn't ask the question he knew she wanted to, so he did it for her.

"Why am I such an outcast?"

"I didn't-"

"But you wanted to," he smiled and shook his head, "It's alright, Molly. There's probably too many reasons to count. Suffice it to say, I don't get along well with most living things. The closest things I've _ever_ had to friends would be the hyenas," he didn't look at her when he admitted, "And more recently, you."

"You can definitely count _me_ as a full-fledged friend, Scar. No more of this _if_ bullshit," Molly licked the side of his face and he relaxed. A little.

...

Following Scar deeper into the graveyard, Molly couldn't help but notice how the hyenas looked at him when he passed. They were afraid. From what she knew of lions and hyenas, this was perfectly normal, but if they were so scared of him, why did they let him stay here? And what if he had earned that fear? So far, none of the animals they had run into had particularly liked Scar. Bapoto and Masika had even had that underlying fear that the hyenas had, and Rafiki had shared Sarabi's disdain for the big lion. Had she somehow gotten herself tangled up with the resident 'bad boy' of the Pridelands?

"You must promise me that you won't ever wander away from here on your own," Scar told her as they started up an incline.

"Why?"

Green eyes flashed at her, but he answered, "It's too dangerous. There are male lions out there that do not have a pride and don't have to answer to my brother. If one was to catch you..." he didn't finish his thought, but Molly understood his meaning. The thought hadn't occurred to her that with the body of a lioness, came the lioness' heat cycles.

"I'm not..."

"Not what?" he turned to her, confused.

"I'm not...in heat right now, am I?"

Eyes widening, for a moment he was completely silent, then Scar threw back his head and laughed.

Sighing, red fur getting redder, Molly looked on and said, "I didn't think it was that funny of a question..."

Laughing a little longer, Scar continued to grin long after, "Trust me, Molly. You'll KNOW when you're in heat."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Scar moved on, still laughing as she tried to get him to explain his last comment to her. Shaking his head, he refused and instead nodded towards a huge cliff face that jutted from the center of the graveyard. Rising like a tower, it gave the already eery graveyard an even more ominous look.

"Whoa, what's that?"

"I'll show you," Scar started toward the tower of rock, picking out a narrow path once they reached it that Molly would have completely looked over. The whole thing looked unscaleable to her. Once they were climbing, however, she saw the path along the rocky crags and picked her way along behind Scar easily.

"Watch the next few steps," he warned towards the top, watching her intently as she followed him; making sure she didn't slip or miss her footing.

Making it to the very top, Molly gasped when she saw the view. The elephant graveyard was behind her, and in front of her stretched the green of the Pridelands. The sky was clear above them and the stars shone brightly, looking so close. Far off in the distance she could see a large cliff with a slab of rock jutting almost perpendicular from it.

Noticing where her gaze fell, Scar said, "Pride Rock, my brother's home."

Glancing up at the moon, Molly said, "Are we going soon?"

Nodding Scar audibly ground his teeth, "Yes, my brother has 'summoned' me. And I'm not stupid enough to think it's for any other reason than to ogle the mad lioness that's following his brother around."

"So I'm mad am I?"

"They're sure to think you are."

"Pfft," Molly went to him and tucked herself close to his body, rubbing her head under his chin and purring, "Let them think whatever they want."

...

Warmth shot through Scar as Molly pressed her body against his. Damned lioness wasn't even in heat yet. Staring out over the Pridelands, Scar's eyes wandered back to Pride Rock. He wasn't happy about having to take time away from his few moments with Molly just to parade around for his brother's court. They all sickened him. He couldn't stand them before, what made them think he'd be able to stomach them now? The sooner they got it over with, the better, but Scar knew Molly was tired of being dragged around and wanted a place to rest for a bit.

"We'll stay here a few nights," he told her, "Then we'll leave."

She only nodded and snuggled further into his fur. Heart beating against his ribcage, he was sure she heard it, but she didn't say anything. Looking up at the stars, Scar prayed to the Kings that they would let him keep her.

...

The next day, Scar woke late in the day (early for a lion) to find Molly already gone from his side. Her laugh came from outside his cave and he poked his head out to find her running across the open area of the graveyard, a pack of hyena pups bolting after her, giggling and falling all over themselves. Sitting at the edge of the cave to watch, Scar smiled in the shadows. Molly whirled on the pups and crouched. Skidding to a halt, the pups fell into a pile, then turned and bolted, laughing their little heads off as she chased them back.

The thought occurred to him that she'd make a good mother and he scratched at the dirt, trying to scratch the thought out. He couldn't be thinking...

Moving out into the sun and stretching, Scar shook his mane and yawned wide.

"Morning sunshine."

Molly grinned up at him, then licked the side of his face.

"Hello Molly," he was confused by her greeting but let it go.

"Wanna play?" she asked, looking back to the wrestling pups.

Raising an eyebrow, Scar scoffed a little, "I don't think the poor things could handle ME playing, Molly."

Grinning, Molly rolled her eyes, "You're not _that_ scary."

Implying that he was, in fact, a little scary to her. Frowning, Scar looked back at the pups who were now nervously huddled together watching the two lions. The last time he remembered really playing was with Mufasa as a cub. Scar hadn't played anything but mind games in years.

"Scar?" Molly tugged on his mane with her teeth, "om on" her voice came out muffled around the fur.

Sighing, Scar shook himself free of her, "Alright, alright, but _you_ explain to them. I'm not about to have one start crying if I speak to them."

"Jesus," Molly said under her breath as she smiled triumphantly. Another word where he had no idea what it meant. It was infuriating. Huffing as she turned to address the hyena pups, Scar tried to lick the part of his mane back into place where she'd mussed it.

...

"Alright little ones," Molly smiled reassuringly to the cowering pups, "Scar's gonna come and play hide-and-seek with us."

Molly hadn't thought it possible for them to look _more_ scared, but they froze completely still and their eyes got as big as saucers. Finally, Zip, one of the bigger females asked, "S-Scar, is going to play? But...he scares us..."

Hearing another huff from behind her, Molly ignored Scar and continued smiling to the pups. She knew it was a big step for them to play with a lion like herself let alone Scar, the one their parents feared. "It's alright, Zip, he's really not all that bad," she dropped her voice to a whisper and they crowded closer, "It's really just an act, he's really a big squishy teddy bear."

"Teddy bear?" the pups faces scrunched up in confusion as they looked at each other.

"Er..."

"What are you telling them about me?" Scar's voice from her shoulder made her jump, and the pups scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind.

"You scared the crap out of me," she accused.

"I see your playmates have vanished. And I was _so_ looking forward to hide-and-seek," he gave her a sly, 'I-told-you-so' look.

Sticking her tongue out at him, Molly said, "I didn't tell them anything, just that you're a lot nicer than you seem. But by the looks of things, they didn't buy it."

Surprisingly, a few of the pups did come back, Zip among them, tails tucked between their legs and sticking close to Molly.

"Molly, are you sure we can play?" Zip peeked around one of Molly's legs to look at Scar.

Showing his teeth, Scar grinned down at the young pup, "That's up to you. Are you all just going to run off every time I make a sudden move?"

Exchanging looks, the pups shook their heads.

"Then get going," Scar closed his eyes and began to count.

Looking up to Molly still, the pups waited for her to nod them along before running in all directions in search of hiding places. Molly knew she'd have to hide quite a bit harder than she'd ever had to before in her human body. Lion bodies were big...

...

Scar waited to fifty, then opened his eyes and stretched. Eyes were no good in this game, so he sniffed around for the trails of the four pups and Molly. He debated going right after her, but he knew the point of this was for him to play with the hyena pups. It seemed it would make Molly happy for some reason. Zoning in on the scent of one of the males, Scar trotted off towards the edge of the graveyard. Little pawprints led him to the skull of a long dead elephant, half-collapsed in. Peeking in, Scar found the pup huddled, looking terrified, in the corner of the skull.

Sighing, Scar sat back, "Come on out."

Obeying immediately, the pup hung his head as if about to be scolded as he came to sit in front of Scar.

"What's your name?"

"Dakarai."

"Why do you fear me, Dakarai?"

Swallowing, the pup answered, "You're the King's brother."

Scar couldn't help but laugh, "You're afraid of me because of who I'm related to?"

Peeking up at the laughing lion, Dakarai replied, "Well, that and..." he didn't continue.

"Yes?"

"You're...the scariest looking lion I've ever seen."

Shoulders shaking as he chuckled, Scar shook his head, "And how many lions have you seen pup?"

"Well," Dakarai traced a paw across the dirt, "I guess you and Molly are the only ones."

"I suppose against that sort of comparison I _would_ be considered the scariest lion you've ever seen, hmm?"

Smiling a little, Dakarai nodded.

"Alright, get along with you, you've been found," Scar nodded back towards the starting point and continued on.

The scents and prints of two pups ran along each other for a long way before splitting at a cliff's edge. One seemed to disappear right over, and Scar chuckled as he back-tracked over the pawprint trail paying more attention to his nose. The pup had stepped in her own tracks and leapt off into a pile of bones a little way's back from the cliff. Raising up on his hind paws, Scar propped himself over the pile and peered in. A clattering from a little above him caught his attention and he saw a little dark paw retreat into a hole higher up in the pile. Careful of where he stepped, Scar made his way up the pile to find the big talkative female from earlier.

"Found you," he called to her.

Pouting a little, she slithered out from the bones to stand face to face with him, "I thought I had you when you walked past the first time."

"You forget lions have a nose?"

Annoyed, the pup sniffed and made as if to go down the pile, "No," placing her foot on a loose leg bone, the pup slipped and fell into open space.

Lunging out, Scar caught her in his mouth, but the movement had compromised his own footing and he toppled down the big pile of bones, head over heels, to the ground. Landing hard, Scar released the pup from his mouth before his teeth snapped down on her. Rolling away from him, she slammed against a rock with a soft yelp. Shaking his head to clear it, Scar went to the pup and nudged her with his nose.

Whining, she looked up at him pleadingly, "My leg hurts."

"Let me see," Scar licked at the leg and didn't taste any blood, "Try to stand on it."

Getting to her feet, she managed to put a little weight on it, but she still favored her paw.

"I think you'll be alright, but I'll carry you back."

Nodding, the pup allowed him to pick her back up gently with his mouth and take her back to her mother, who was beside herself howling when she saw Scar with her baby in his mouth. When he placed the pup down in front of her, safe and sound for the most part, she calmed.

"Thank you, Scar," she said, surprising him, "You saved my baby."

The commotion had brought back the other two pups and Molly, and the lionness smiled at him as the sun finally set and night took over, "Well that wasn't exactly what I had in mind as far as spending quality time with the pack, but it's a start.

...

Hi guys, I'm finally uploading chapter 11! *dodges sharp sticks, rocks, and rotten vegetables* Again, I'm SO sorry, and again, there isn't a good enough excuse. I sort of wrote myself into a corner on the last chapter and it took me a bit to figure out where I wanted to go, so hopefully this wasn't terrible... It's a lot of sappy bonding time, I know. Anyways, since I'm three chapters behind on answering you guys, I hope you guys don't mind if I only answer questions that have been asked. I'll try to keep up on it from now on so I don't have to skip anyone anymore. Love you all and thank you for being such great readers! Your guys' comments are always so awesome and a lot are really touching. Your comments mean the world to me!

Starting with the furthest back question:

sarahthepirate98: I vaguely described her, but I sure took my sweet time about it and I didn't realize until your questions! *blushes* I know I don't mention she's a redhead until chapter 6, and I didn't bother to mention her eye color until AFTER your question (and after she's a lion) in chapter 9 *slams head against desk* I'm a terrible author... Not even describing my main character... Her fur as a lion is the same color as her human hair, which i think I skimmed over somewhere in there too, but like I said, late in the chapters and probably pretty vaguely. So she's a reddish colored lion.

DovieDM-1991-Promised Wings: I have thought the Mufasa death scene/ending out several ways, actually, lol! And I'm still not sure on how I'm gonna address it. I still haven't 100% decided whether this story is an AU or not... I have pieces of the story laid out in my head, but it changes itself as I write it, so sometimes the pieces don't fit. I have a strong feeling this story is going to pull into AU and I might not get to the point of Scar killing Mufasa at all. I'm sorry I couldn't give you a better answer. *hangs head*

shadowoftheblackdeat: Big YES to the lemon question, I should put that in the description... But I'm trying to have them form a relationship before jumping into that, hehe. We'll see how that goes. I've had to rewrite several chapters already since I've jumped the gun more than twice. ;) Currently it's before the movies. It might leak over into during the movies, though I haven't 100% decided yet.

Xiaahandrus: Yes, it does indeed take place before prego Sarabi, hehe!

I solemnly swear to finish the story guys. Even if it takes me decades (God forbid, God forbid) I WILL complete it, so you don't have to worry about that. ^^ I just hope you all don't lynch and beat the ending out of me before then...


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